The Severed Leaf
by Minatus
Summary: Naruto has lost his wil of fire ever since he killed the last Uchiha. Will the girl from the desert be able rekindle his inner spark? But will anyone survive to see it, the followers of an old god are working to end everything.
1. Nightmares and Bad Mornings

Chapter 1: Dreams and Bad Mornings

Disclaimer: ......I don't own Naruto........

**Hiya, sorry about the dividers disappearing.  
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_Flashes of thunder light up the landscape. Even with the disorienting lights, the two young shinobi did not blink or lose sight of their quarry. _

_Years of searching and hoping to find him had brought them to this exact moment. Sasuke was standing fifty yards away from them; his sharingan eyes staring coldly back at them. _

_That smirk, mocking and confident, was set on his face as if the two shinobi standing before him had never been anything more than a nuisance. _

_Suddenly everything began to blur as if reality were just water colors, once clearly defined outlines became impossible to distinguish. Then all the colors which had been blurring began to swim around and reorganize themselves into an entirely different arrangement. _

_What had once been an open field with tall emerald grasses, small deposits of rain water in puddles, rolling hills and large boulders littered throughout. Now it seems like a vision of hell. What little remained of the plant life was either withered from fire or still burning. The field was now filled with large craters, many of the boulders have been completely decimated or cut into pieces. There was no water to be seen anywhere. _

_The only thing he could recognize were the two people standing before him. The pink-haired girl had her arms wrapped around the other. Tears were rolling down her face, she was pleading with him. Although the girl clutching him tightly was sobbing, Sasuke's face may have been carved from the same steel as his blade._

_She never even had seen him raise his blade. With one swift motion, the sword disappeared into her chest and exited out of her back. _

_She stumbled away from him, the blade sliding out of her torso. She brought her hands to her chest. When she moved her right hand away from her chest, she seen her hand was coated with a red thick liquid. She returned her gaze to the young man who was responsible for this, looking for answers. _

_His cold eyes were all that met her and as if in slow motion she began to fall backwards. She dropped into one of now endless craters that cluttered the landscape._

_The blond standing 10 feet away was paralyzed. The scene he just witnessed ripped a hole in his chest. Drops of blood followed her body as she fell from sight. Each instant spanned an eternity in his mind. _

_A red haze was creeping into his vision, the details of his surroundings falling away as this rage began to boil. _

_Naruto's eyes glazed over and he heard a growl from within himself and he was yanked to the eerie and dank sub-basement of his mind. He stood lifeless staring at his reflection. The enormous red fox crept closer to the bars of his cage. The water around Naruto began to bubble up, the fox's chakra seemingly about to consume him. The bubbles were at eye level and about to touch Naruto when the Uchiha suddenly appeared next to Naruto._

_"You don't learn do you, dobe?" Sasuke said as he used him sharingan to suppress the chakra of the fox. _

_A ferocious growl emitted from beyond the bars, Naruto however didn't hear the growl nor did he ever look up from the reflection in the water. The fox whispered something but Sasuke couldn't make it out, Naruto though, snapped to attention._

_"I am ancient beyond your pathetic mortal years will ever last." Naruto spoke but it was not his own voice. As Sasuke looked from Naruto to the cage he noticed that Naruto was both standing next to him and standing inside the cage as he was moments before, the fox was missing completely. The Naruto inside the cage was staring at his reflection in the water. _

_The world around Naruto began to fade away. _

_Naruto's senses were suddenly assaulted as he regained control over his body. Sasuke's body was on the ground in front of him, lifeless and drenched in blood._

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Naruto awoke with a violent shake, covered in sweat. He had that same nightmare again. It had been several months since the deaths of his former squad seven teammates, but still he was haunted by the dream. Naruto looked at his clock to see that it was only three in the morning.

".......Three hours of sleep, how pointless....." he mumbled jumping out of his bed and heading to his bathroom.

Since receiving his inheritance from his clan after it was revealed that his father had been the Fourth Hokage, Naruto had resided in his family's old estate. It was a fairly large manor, three stories tall with a cathedral ceiling on the top floor. The manor was in the center of large compound which was surrounded by a twelve foot tall wall. Naruto felt that this amount of space was unnecessarily large, but who was he to complain.

Naruto examined himself in the mirror before his shower. At 20 years of age, his body has never been in better shape. The scars though were a constant reminder that he didn't belong anywhere. He traced his fingers around his scars on his chest. Some of them he received while on assignment, the majority of them he received from the villagers. When he was younger the members of the village who had lost family to the Kyuubi would find him on his birthday and attempt to inflict as much pain as they could. Sometimes he was able to get away from them. Other times.........

After his shower, Naruto geared up and donned his black overcoat and mask. He had been assigned to Anbu just after returning from his mission to recover Sasuke. It seemed to him that Tsunade wanted to keep him busy in order to keep him from brooding over the death of his comrades. He performed his tasks well, despite constantly being in trouble with whoever was his captain. He didn't resort to goofing around, but he talked almost nonstop. Three days ago, he went down to Anbu headquarters for his most recent disciplinary meeting, however instead of the usual, getting yelled at and assigned patrol duty, He was promoted to captain. There were only a handful of captains in the black ops and they reported directly to the Hokage. He was utterly shocked but the reasoning that he had been told was that despite his mouth, he had grown into an excellent battle field tactician.

Naruto looked out into the stillness of the night, deciding that he should go to the Anbu headquarters instead of staring at his ceiling until dawn again. Besides he had an important requisition filed and needed to know if it had been approved.

Once Naruto had made it outside, he leapt onto the perimeter wall of the estate, jumping to the nearest rooftop and disappearing into the night.

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Out in the desert, Temari is leaning up against her war fan. She had been outside nearly the entire night training and now the sun was rising. Glad that she had avoided the blazing sun for her training. She was completely spent, every muscle in her body ached. 'I guess I am at my limit for now' she shrugged while swinging the war fan into its harness on her back.

Just as she was heeded back she heard something that made her stomach drop. The gate claxons nearest to her were ringing loudly, something is terribly wrong here. Despite her exhaustion she bolted back into the village. But someone was waiting at the gate, perhaps just for her......

"Hey, Temari, what's the rush?" the voice came from the figure leaning up against the gate. As she neared with her war fan drawn and prepared to do whatever she was capable of in her condition, as if the darkness were just a blanket that just was ripped off, she could see who was there and she realized just what was going on here.

"KANKURO, WHAT THE HELL, I THOUGHT SOMETHING THE VILLAGE WAS UNDER ATTACK!!!!" Temari was livid, but Kankuro was on the ground laughing hysterically at her. With each passing second her face was becoming a little bit scarier and the 4 shinobi patrol guard could see this was about to go poorly for people wearing face paint..... With one draw of the war fan, Temari's ability with her fan sent Kankuro sailing through the air and connecting with a large boulder. She drew the war fan behind her and despite her exhaustion, summoned a massive amount of chakra.

"Wind Style; Howling Vortex Crusher" she bellowed, as she brought the fan down overhead it seemed to move too slowly as if she were entirely under water. As the fan came down a concentrated blast of chakra infused wind crossed the distance in the blink of an eye. Kankuro almost didn't have time to dodge since didn't think she would be able to produce that kind of power.

He had went to bed when she left to train and came out to see her still training when he woke. She could barely stand much less attack when she got to the gate after his joke. Yet still, the boulder she hit exploded into dust and a few pebbles.

"Now, come on, that wasn't that bad." Kankuro realized she wasn't done yet as she raised the fan again. Kankuro took off as he seen that she was not going to take it easy, Temari ran in pursuit sending the same technique after Kankuro.

Standing up on top of the Gate was Gaara, crossing his arms. Upon seeing his siblings he shook his head. Kankuro had been messing with Temari a lot lately. On top of that it seems like Temari is a little high strung as of late. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to decide on what to do with these two.

While lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Kankuro rounding back towards the gate and his Ultimate Defense Sand suddenly formed a barrier around him and a missed blast from Temari sent sand and rock fragments flying at him.

'Lucky the sand doesn't get lost in thought' Gaara sighed

After his barrier of sand slowly returned into his gourd, a shinobi landed on top of the gate beside him.

"Kazekage-sama, we received a message from Konoha for you." Gaara didn't acknowledge that the young man has even spoken to him.

"Uh....Gaara-same?" he said while raising his voice to get a response. Gaara shook slightly and turned to face the young man. It was one of his aides, still a chuunin in rank. Nevertheless he has been expecting this message. It was a reply to a message concerning an incident where shinobi infiltrated the village just recently; he needed desperately to hear from Konoha. A shinobi was captured during the event and he was wearing a leaf forearm protector.

"Yes, thank you Matsuichi. I will return to my office then to receive it." Gaara was glad he managed to remember the lad's name on the fly. The young ninja seemed particularly pleased by that.

Just as Gaara was about to leave for his office he seen something out the corner of his eye which drew some panic from him. Temari had chased Kankuro back around towards the gate.

"Wind Style; Wind Dragon jutsu" came a familiar voice..........

Chapter 1....


	2. Long Mornings and Longers Nights

Chapter 2: Long Mornings and Longer Nights

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

**This chapter takes place about a month after the last one**

**I am getting tired of my dividers getting destroyed.....  
**

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Tsunade was sitting in her office with her elbows on her desk, both of her hands were massaging the temple on each side of her head. It was still early in the morning but for her, it seemed like she had been working non-stop for days.

Her desk had its usually layer of reports haphazardly scattered from one end straight to the other. She wondered just how long it had been since she last seen the wood under all the mess that consumed her work space.

The situation with Suna has escalated drastically. The aftermath of the infiltration had been messy to say the least. The infiltrators had broken into several buildings, but nothing was missing according to the inventories taken afterward. Also three guard patrols have gone missing since the infiltration. The letter she received from Gaara referenced that there was 'unrest', as he put it, amongst the elder council in the village also Gaara did believe that something had been taken but he believed it was something that the inventory wouldn't have looked at. Although Gaara had been able to keep the council from doing anything rash, it appears that the council has been hinting at Konoha being behind the missing guard patrols as well as the infiltration.

Tsunade though, was able to read between the lines. Gaara had been sugar coating the situation in the letter. She slammed her fist down on her desk in frustration which sent a good deal of reports flying off in random directions. 'It somehow looks more organized than it did before' she thought with the tiniest of a smirk.

The council in Suna never cared much for the allegiance with Konoha, that much she had known before she had ever become Hokage. Despite Gaara's age, he was actually quite skilled when it comes to dealing with such matters. Sometimes Tsunade wished she could maneuver Konoha's elders in the same manner Gaara could.

One of the reports that had settled on the top of the collage of reports covering her desk caught her eye. It was written in a nearly illegible scrawl that could only be one particular blonde's handwriting. She must have been really behind in her paperwork because this one had been dated two weeks prior.

Tsunade was eager to have a distraction, if only for a few minutes, before she decided on how to deal with her bigger problems, she leafed through Naruto's report. It was regarding a mission she had sent him on to investigate some old temple ruins. Hardly a task worthy of an entire Anbu squad, but there were some special circumstances regarding this one.

This temple was supposedly the home of the once Akatsuki immortal, Hidan, also several nearby villages have had people go missing. The superstitious villagers believed that the Akatsuki immortal had returned and was determined to continue his practices.

When Naruto arrived, his team surveyed the surrounding areas, finding nothing, he sent a shadow clone to investigate inside. Something did destroy his clone, but according to Naruto the clone's last impression was that its throat had been slashed, otherwise the clone had been caught completely unaware. She bit her lip, not many people could catch Naruto flat footed.

Afterwards Naruto entered with the entire squad which at the time consisted of him and 6 other shinobi. Even with a detection specialist, the search did not turn up anyone or anything inside of the temple. However he makes several mentions of evidence that someone had indeed been there recently and moreover there had been perverse rituals performed there. During the initial search Naruto surmised that at least twenty people had been sacrificed. Naruto further notes that this is an estimate because no single whole body was ever found.....

The report continued on to read that an entrance was found to a basement level, this room had a circle drawn in blood on the floor which had a diameter of at least twenty feet. During his search of the room, Naruto decided that a vicious battle had taken place. The walls had been damaged heavily and almost everything in the room had been destroyed and same as in the other chambers no one corpse was whole. The only thing that the search of this room that Naruto said seemed out of place was that there were skulls in the room with a strange symbol carved into them.

At the conclusion of the search, Naruto had 'decommissioned the temple' as he put it. Naruto ended the report that he was going to sweep through the surrounding area with his team and see if he could find out any more information regarding the temple or who could have been there.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and tossed the report back onto her desk. As the report landed two slips of paper slid out, the first was an extensive list of paper bombs which was used to destroy the temple. Tsunade wondered for a brief moment just how big this temple was. She wondered because this amount of bombs could destroy all of Konoha.

The second slip however made Tsunade gasp. It was labeled as the symbol found carved into the skull in the basement. She frantically began ruffling through the other reports on her desk looking for one in particular. Not finding what she was looking for on the desk she expanded her search to the reports which had fallen off her desk. She managed to spot the one she wanted as it had fallen underneath her desk. As she attempted to rise she slammed her head on the bottom side of her desk, she muttered a list of colorful obscenities and brought her attention back to the report.

The report had been from Gaara, but was not written by him. It was an account of a search performed by Sand shinobi when one of the guard patrols went missing. The search did happen to find one of the guards who went missing but he had been viciously murdered and disemboweled. The last note was that an odd symbol had been carved into one of the skulls. On the last page was a symbol drawn in the center of the page.

This symbol was identical to the one which Naruto's report had enclosed.

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Naruto and his team had been searching since he sent a frog messenger with his report back to Konoha. Thus far the search has been far from fruitful. He went to every village which had listed as having people go missing but each time it was the same story.

No one was able to remember anything strange before or after the person disappeared, it was just that they remember seeing the particular person one day then....poof! Just to top things off none of the villages have noticed anyone passing through the area recently

This whole situation has been annoying him to no end. How could he be expected to do anything if he doesn't have any idea of what he is looking for.

The only reason he didn't just end this goose-chase is that his detection specialist has found several managed animals throughout the woods. Although following a trail of dead animals doesn't particularly appeal to Naruto. It would be fairly simple to fall into a trap or someone could be just screwing with him.

Naruto looked out from his vantage point, a large branch of a rather tall about seventy feet off the ground. Nothing in particular caught his eye as it was nearly midnight and all was quiet except of course the stupid owl that kept bothering him every few minutes with its incessant 'hooing'. He glances to the spot where the camp his squad is at. Being fairly satisfied that it is hidden well enough that unless you knew where to look you wouldn't spot it, Naruto sent out a group of shadow clones to scout nearby.

A rabbit masked cloak-clad figure landed on the branch next to Naruto. It was his detection specialist, the only person in the squad he had known without their mask on. A young girl who was several years younger than him but she was an excellent shinobi having proved her skills many times over.

"What is it Hanabi? You should be asleep with the others." he asked before she even landed next to him.

"Well, it's just that.. that... well, I was coming to relieve you from guard duty." Hanabi stuttered, it amused Naruto that she was always so nervous around him.

"I'm fine, go back to bed, Hanabi." Naruto replied with an automatic response. Luckily his mask masked the signs under his eyes proving how much he needed to rest. She was the only one he talked to using her real name out of any shinobi he usually had in his squad. When she did ask him why, he just shrugged.

"But, you've been up for......" Hanabi didn't get to finish as Naruto signaled her for silence and that a threat was nearby.

"One of the clones who were patrolling nearby was just killed." Naruto whispered hoarsely as he tossed a few pebbles which landed next to the squad's camp. Within seconds five shadows escaped out from the camouflaged tent.

"We have company, boys and girls." He whispered into his radio.

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Gaara was sitting in office looking over his latest patrol report when Temari barged into his office with a scroll in her fist. She threw the scroll into his lap. The seal on it labeled it as an urgent patrol report. Gaara ripped it open quickly and scanned the contents.

'A intense battle has been observed near the western border, outside Suna territory and barely inside Konoha territory......Battle appears to be of two groups of jounin-level combatants...Confirmed Anbu black ops presence in the area........other combatants unconfirmed........require orders on how to proceed" Gaara looked back through the scroll one more time and threw it back to Temari for her to read. Deciding that he couldn't just sit on this report he went through his options. If there was leaf shinobi involved they might be under attack from the same people who have been attacking his village.

Gaara immediately sent a summons for available high ranking shinobi of his personal vanguard, a group of 10 ninja who at any time were expected to answer the Kazekage's beckons. Within seconds Kankuro and 8 other had appeared in Gaara's office.

"We have a situation just outside our borders; I am sending you all out in order to reinforce a squad of Anbu shinobi who are under attack. It is possible that the enemy may have information on what has been happening recently. Temari is will be leading this effort. DISMISSED!" just as soon as Gaara had finished the entire group left as quickly as they had arrived.

**Chapter 2........**


	3. The Not So Calm Before The Storm

Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Naruto.**

**On with the show!**

The patrol squad had been waiting for a response for quite some time. The sounds of battle could still be heard off in the distance, the sounds of high-destruction type jutsu no doubt. The entire squad had been standing on egg shells watching for signs of the battle approaching them. They had taken position just outside of the forest on the border of Suna. The sun was bearing down on them, that day it was easily over 110°.

The sounds of battle abruptly stopped. It seemed as if the battle had been decided. Just as the squad shifted glances amongst themselves a small group of silhouettes appeared but they were coming from the direction of the Sand village.

Temari and her squad spotted the small shining signal of the patrol squad at the edge of the tree line. As her squad approached the tree line, the group noticed the absence of the sounds of battle. The squad stopped next to the patrol squad. The squad saluted their reinforcements and proceeded to hastily explain the situation to Temari.

"The battle lasted for about 3 hrs and we were able to hear it until about 2 minutes ago, it seems it's over." The squad captain appeared uneasy about the sudden stop of the sounds. Temari bit her thumb, quickly deciding that she should still check the region and figure out what happened.

"Your orders are to resume your patrol; we are going to search the area. Where was the battle?" Temari asked as she pulled on her fan's harness checking it one more time.

The captain pointed off into the distance. "The battle was approximately three kilometers away, east of this spot." Just as the captain stopped talking, Temari and her squad took off to investigate.

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As the squad continued along the branches, making short time of the distance, Kankuro matched himself to be at Temari's side.

"I don't like this, we could be walking straight into a trap and we don't even know who the enemy is...." Kankuro voiced his concerns.

"It doesn't matter we know that the Anbu were involved. If indeed they lost, there is not even a chance that the foe is unscathed." Temari cut Kankuro off. Seconds later the squad arrived at what had to have been the battle scene. The squad spread out along the tree line of a newly created clearing. The clearing had been at least one hundred meters across and another hundred meters going off out of sight to the right. Fires were still ablaze in various places, in other spots the grass was still untouched, and there were at least 50 downed trees throughout the clearing.

As Temari scanned the area she spotted a lone standing figure clad in a black cloak, an Anbu. She motioned for the squad to stay put and she drew her war fan then jumped from her tree. As she neared it became apparent that the figure wasn't standing, it was propped up against what used to be a tree trunk but now it was as black as the Anbu's cloak, scorched by flames no doubt. The Anbu didn't move or respond to her approach at all. Temari was now only 20 meters away when she noticed something in her peripheral vision. The clearing had been much larger than she first anticipated. She had not been able to see because the tree line blocked her field of vision, but now she could see the entire clearing. The farthest point where she could still see battle damage must have been at least a quarter mile away.

A cough from the Anbu startled here and she had to restrain herself from bringing her fan to bear on the seemingly unconscious Anbu. She noticed that the Anbu's cloak was torn in several places and appeared to be soaked through with what looked like blood. Even the mask had been nearly destroyed, no longer able to protect the identity of its bearer. Temari knew this man, it was Naruto Uzumaki....

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Down in an underground ceremonial chamber, a cloaked figure was praying. He had been offering his thanks to his god for the blessing he had received.

"High Priest, we have finished the preparations." The figure was kneeling just in front of him. He stood from his seat and approached the kneeling man.

"My child, Jashin would be very pleased with your efforts, although next time you would do well to remember not to interrupt a priest while he is communing with the almighty." He said as an evil grin spread across his face. The servant's eyes widened with terror, the priest brought a knife from his cloak and slashed open his throat. The priest did not even seem to be bothered by the cascade of blood which flow over him. He stared in amusement at the body of the servant, watching the blood drain from the wound. Things were progressing nicely, even with the unfortunate setback that cost him almost fifty of his faithful.

"Those who do not have the strength to fulfill the will of our lord do not deserve to exist." He muttered to himself before returning to his supplication.

Hanabi stared out the window of her room watching the sun set while she was lost in thought. She had been the only one from her squad to return alive. After her return, she gave a full report to the Hokage. At the insistence of Tsunade she visited the infirmary before returning to the Hyuga estate. Her injuries were very minor, especially considering the sacrifice that her squad had suffered.

She wondered how her captain was. She heard he was found by reinforcements from Suna and that he was in critical condition in Suna. She also knew Naruto had been pushing himself too much as of late. It seemed that he never slept, he was over using his shadow clones to scout and guard for the squad, and the various other little things she noticed. She figured it had something to do with the fact that he and her sister stopped seeing each other.

They had dated for almost half a year, but after he returned from a particular mission. Her sister said that he wasn't the same. He lost something important. She often wondered what her sister had meant or what could have happened on that mission. About a month ago when he was promoted to Anbu captain, Hinata and Naruto both came to the decision to end their relationship. Shortly afterward Hanabi had applied to Anbu and was assigned to Naruto's squad.

Hanabi was reminded of the battle when she notices that the sun was now the same shade of red as Naruto's blood. She felt guilty for not being able to do more.

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"_We have company, boys and girls." Naruto's voice came across her headset._

_She had taken position in a tree behind Naruto. Within a few seconds, several figures emerged from the darkness. A barrage of fire balls erupted from a hiding spot of one of the Anbu. The battle quickly escalated as at least five times their number engaged the squad. _

_Not having the experience the rest of the squad did, she did as she was trained to do and managed to silence the first of her attackers within a few minutes. She fought as fiercely as anyone else in the squad but she was slowly becoming overwhelmed. She had seen one of her teammates being hit with dozens of shuriken at once. The chaos was mounting and despite all the training the squad had gone through. It seemed that soon the entire squad would be overwhelmed._

_Each of the offending shinobi was clad in white robes. For whatever reason, they seemed to be determined that no one should leave this place alive. They all wore masks but there was no way to distinguish between any one of them, for they wore a white mask as well. _

_Every few minutes she would hear on her headset that one of her comrades announce that they were unleashing a high powered jutsu. Each time she fell back to see a large blast decimate the surrounding forest. The blasts came in all flavors from immense fire balls, to violent blasts of lightning, and even Naruto's own wind style techniques._

_The battle had raged for hours but for each enemy they felled, more seemed to join the attack. Hanabi had used everything at her disposal several times. Her mastery of her family's kekkai genkai was substantial but she had her limits to just how long she could keep fighting at this level of combat._

_Now fatigue was beginning to set in on her, she had begun making mistakes. Luckily for her, one of Naruto's clones would manage to jump in and defend her or pull her out of the way just before an attack could connect. The battle still raged on. Two more members of the squad fell to a hail of projectiles and she heard Naruto announce that the squad was to withdraw from the battlefield. _

_As the squad fell back, Hanabi noticed that there was not a fox masked figure amongst the squad retreating. When she looked back, she seen there were at least twenty fox masked shinobi moving around the battle field. There was no way to determine where the real Naruto had actually been, but there was a black clad figure standing in the middle of the fight with several kunai in his back, the figure had been looking at Hanabi at the exact moment she looked back. Naruto was staying behind to buy time for the squad to retreat. She turned back around so she could speed up to keep up with the remaining squad members._

_Before the squad could make any good distance a new group of shinobi attacked the retreating squad. It seemed Naruto hadn't been able to hold back all of the attackers. The squad wasn't as badly outnumbered this time though. The battle wounds and weariness though had built reduced their combat strength. _

_Soon Hanabi was the only remaining one standing. Hanabi used her clan's rotation to repel and damage the three remaining attackers which had also gathered just close enough to her to be in range. Two of the attackers had gone flying into a nearby tree and from the way they hit and bounced off the trees, she guessed that their spines had been shattered. The last remaining attacker had stood again and was not about to hit with that cheap trick again. It started to form hand seals, but she wouldn't give her opponent the chance. She lunged towards her attacker and just before his attack was prepared, she buried her kunai into his throat. Hanabi didn't hesitate and before the last attacker had hit the ground she took off. She ran and ran, she ran until her legs felt like they were made of lead, then she ran harder. She made it almost the entire way back to Konoha before she collapsed from sheer exhaustion._

_The image of Naruto surrounded by enemies haunting her every step._

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It had been three days since Temari found Naruto out in the burning field, she had been to the infirmary every day, and today was no different as she sits in his room watching his chest rise and fall in the morning sunlight. She wanted to find out what just what happened before she arrived. They had not found an evidence of the enemy even after a full search had been conducted. Naruto though, still has not woken up, the doctors said he lost a lot of blood and were shocked he even survived with these kinds of injuries. He had been cut, burnt, and blasted by immense force.

Temari however knew better than to underestimate him. She allowed her mind to wander for a moment. She thought back on the time she had been standing on a rooftop with Gaara listening to him talk about how he wanted to be strong and have purpose, just like Naruto_. _

She continued to reflect, thinking about how hard it must have been to have grown up in the way Gaara had to, but Naruto had become so completely different than Gaara had been. As she stared off into oblivion, the door to the room swung open and Gaara stepped inside. 'Speak of the devil' she thought as she shook herself, bringing her attention back to the infirmary's intensive care unit.

"Temari. What are you doing here again?" Gaara asked as he walked over to Naruto's side.

"Same thing you are doing here, I imagine." Temari shrugged after she replied. Gaara had been told that Temari has been at Naruto's side every day so far. He still was not sure what to think of this. His first instinct was that she wanted to find out what had happened, but something inside him said that there was something else.

Being as Naruto was still covered in bandages a few feet away, Temari's curiosity got the better of her so she asked "I thought Naruto healed incredibly fast because he is a Jinchuuriki, but the doctors have told me that he isn't even recovering as quickly as a normal shinobi should. Do you think something is wrong?" Gaara pondered her question for a few moments.

"I wouldn't know. There aren't many similarities between the powers we have, so I am not in a position to say for sure that something is wrong." Gaara replied calmly. "By the way I received word from Konoha this morning. I received a report from a member of Naruto's squad." Temari's attention was fully on Gaara now.

"Naruto's squad came under attack from an unknown number of shinobi in the twilight hours. Naruto had been in the area searching for the source of disappearances from nearby villages. After half of his squad was wiped out, Naruto ordered the surviving members of his squad to retreat while he stayed behind. Only one managed to get away and return to the village. From what is in her report the adversary was an unconfirmed number of jounin-level shinobi........" Gaara furrowed his brow, being a little bit agitated that there was so little information.

"That leaves a lot of questions. Our search of the area didn't turn up anything. The only way we will get any solid answers is to wait for Naruto to wake." Temari assessed. Gaara nodded having already concluded this.

"They are preparing an army for invasion." A third voice in the room stated. Gaara and Temari both spun to stare at the blond on the bed......

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_**That is Chapter 3. **_

_**Tell me what you think about the story :P**_

_**(p.s. How many of you knew that the detection specialist was Hanabi Hyuga?)**_


	4. Strange Disappearances

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or the show for that matter.

Chapter 4: Strange Disappearances

**Hiya, sorry this chapter is really short but I am working on the next chapter already and it will be substantially longer.**

_It was mid-day in the village of the sand. The streets were bare and seemingly deserted. The young Kazekage was walking down a street which should have been packed with villagers. He stopped as he reached an intersection, frowning as no villagers could be seen anywhere._

_His frustration and worry was mounting. The sight of his orange-clad friend at the other end of the street momentarily had comforted him._

_But something wasn't right. Suddenly Naruto began to dissolve as if he were made of sand. The buildings around him were beginning to crumble and come crashing down._

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Gaara bolted upright in his bed, both hands clasped on his forehead. It had been two days since Naruto had told him of the invasion army mounting but.....nothing has happened.....yet. Gaara stood and went out to his balcony to stare out into the horizon where the sun was just beginning to rise. He spent much of the morning contemplating what he should do next.

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Elsewhere, a young blond had awakened much in the same manner. Naruto rose from the hospital bed and dressed into clothes that Temari had brought for him to wear. The remainder of his Anbu robes had been disposed of. He wasn't supposed to be wearing the garments until after he was released from the hospital. He had been moved into a normal room, being as most of injuries would heal without the aid of medical jutsu. Although his injuries were still quite deep, the Sand's medical core were impressively skilled but his wounds had been grievous. He had been informed by the last medical nin to come see him that, they could not perform any more medical jutsu on him until his body had a chance to recover. He still had a nasty gash along his ribs on his right side, along with a variety of bruises, also several of his bones were not fully healed yet. He could manage with what he still had.

As he picked through the garments that were left for him it became apparent Temari chose these to screw with him. The button-up shirt was a bright teal with silver flowers all over. The khaki pants weren't pants at all but some kind of sick parody, they were too short to be pants but too long to be shorts.

'Perhaps she did this just so I couldn't walk out of the hospital without drawing attention of the staff.' he thought. He made a mental note that this would not go unanswered. Naruto however would not be discouraged to escape the hospital and so he opened the window and jumped.

The room had been on the third level of the hospital and as Naruto landed he collapsed onto the ground holding his side. As he clutched his side he spit out every curse he knew and several that were combination of curses he had never thought of before.

"Very smooth block-head." Temari had came at the perfect moment to see Naruto "land" and wasn't against making fun of him while he was in pain.

"Shuddup, it's.....your fault." He coughed out as he gasped for air.

"Just how do you figure that? It's my fault you have shit for brains." Temari replied with a grin. Naruto appeared to have recovered and was now standing.

"No, you left me these clothes just so I'd draw to much attention to leave out the front door." Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Temari. Temari was completely speechless for a moment as she tried to fathom the logic that has that as a conclusion. After a few long seconds of Naruto staring at Temari, she burst out laughing. Naruto regained his posture and began walking off.

"HOLD IT!" Naruto froze. Temari wasn't looking as playful now. She had seen that one of his wounds on his right arm had opened and was bleeding. She could only guess that the wound on his chest had also reopened. "You aren't just going to ruin that shirt by bleeding into it. The wound is going to have to be redressed." Temari was definitely not asking.

"This thing?" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes wide from shock. "It's atrocious."

"I got that shirt specifically for you, now I won't have it ruined so quickly. Besides you say that you think this one is bad, what about that orange jump suit you used to wear?" Temari's eye twitched as she countered him. Naruto had known that twitch, it was the one he would see on Tsunade's face or......Sakura's, right before he was about to get hit, really hard usually.

Naruto's face suddenly shifted going from looking appalled to sullen. Temari was slightly confused by this, but he had appeared like he was done arguing for the moment. Temari had Naruto accompany her to the Kazekage's residence where she had Naruto take his shirt off and wait for her in one of the guest bedrooms. Naruto began twiddling his thumbs as he felt uncomfortable in this situation. The door opened and Temari strolled through the doorway. Her jaw dropped as he eyed Naruto up.

"You nearly bled right through the bandage." she tried to pass off her moment of awe as something innocent. After being joining the Anbu, Naruto stepped up his training severely. He no longer resembled a young boy, quite simply his body was impressive even. His scars were numerous but not many of those could have been avoided she imagined. She walked over and began to remove the bloody dressings.

"We received a message from Konoha." Temari spoke softly, knowing that this would remind him of his lost comrades. The remaining color drained from Naruto's face and he stared out the window. "It appears that only one member of your squad was able to return to Konoha. I wasn't given a name but it was the youngest shinobi in the squad, if that means anything to you." Temari didn't like having to be the person with bad news. Naruto looked relieved for a moment but it passed quickly as it appeared.

"I failed as a squad leader." he muttered, more to himself than Temari.

"Naruto.....I'm sure you did everything within your power." Temari said in almost a whisper. She was never the consoling type.

"It wasn't enough though." His face becoming graver as he talked, Temari tried not to look at him as she finished cleaning the wound. "Barely a few weeks after my promotion. The first real battle I had been commander in." Naruto's words trailed off.

"What is important is that you tried. Your squad members knew that there was the possibility they would not be returning, all shinobi are aware of that." Temari hated seeing someone like him in despair. Naruto was the person who changed Gaara, someone who could never be disheartened, but here he was. "Naruto, why hasn't this wound healed. You are supposed to have accelerated healing." Temari said, Naruto needed something to bring his mind off his comrades. Naruto suddenly looked ashamed.

"It's because the Kyuubi is gone." he replied.

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Inside his ceremonial chamber, the high-priest was pacing around the outside of the room. The ritual was nearly complete. The priest was anxious, upon the completion of the ritual he would be so close. Jashin himself shall be brought into this world.

The Symbol of Jashin, a circle with a triangle running through it, was drawn on the floor but was easily twenty meters across. Forty of his finest followers were performing the ceremony, each of the sitting on the outside of the circle. None of them knew there were all going to be sacrificed as soon as they finish. The high-priest was becoming bored with watching the procession. The best way to worship Jashin was to spill blood in his name.

Suddenly the candles which had been illuminating the room all went out at once. The priest could still see though, the ritual circle had begun glowing with a devilish red which began to saturate the room. From the middle of the room, a hole in reality had been torn, and something was coming through. As each second passed more and more of a savage beast was coming out of the portal in the floor. The high-priest stepped forward and kneed before the embodiment of his God, more specifically his thirst, once this creature consumed enough. Jashin himself would walk upon the Earth and he will reshape it into his liking.

"Great harbinger of Jashin, I present you with a sacrifice." The high-priest gestured to the followers who had just completed the ritual.


	5. The Darkening Horizon

**Chapter 5: The Darkening Horizon**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

It was nearly nine o'clock in the morning. Gaara had been out on the balcony since six. He had been watching over the village, his village. He had long since came to the resolution that he would protect the village of the Sand with his life. It was his purpose, to protect these people, the people who are precious to him.

Gaara sighed as he pushed off from the railing on the balcony and headed down stairs. As Gaara made his way through the hallway though he heard something from one of the guest rooms which drew his attention.

"What do you mean the Kyuubi is gone? That doesn't make any sense." Gaara knew his sister's voice and the only person who could be talking to should have been in the hospital still. He opened the door to the guest room to find Naruto with his shirt off and Temari with her hands on his chest and the both of them sitting on the bed.

Upon seeing her brother enter the room Temari quickly pulled away from Naruto. Despite herself, she couldn't hold back a blush. She had good reason to be touching Naruto as she was replacing his bandages. Naruto looked away obviously embarrassed.

"I'm sorry I barged in. I didn't realize you two were busy in here." Gaara spoke first but his comment only made Temari blush deeper.

"It's not like thattt......I was just redressing his wounds." Temari choked out. Gaara merely raised an eyebrow.

"You know, there are plenty of nurses at the hospital which are actually paid to do that." Gaara suggested. Temari was blushing furiously as she felt foolish for not just making Naruto return to the hospital earlier when she had the chance. She immediately got up and shuffled past Gaara towards the door mumbling something about how she had to go and look into the morning patrol reports. Before Temari made it through the door she heard Naruto.

"Thanks, Temari" Naruto said weakly. Temari momentarily stopped in the doorway. She flashed a smile to Naruto before closing the door behind her. Naruto reached over to the other side of the bed to retrieve the shirt Temari had left for him. As he pulled it over his head, he whined "This is quite possibly the flashiest thing I have ever seen." Gaara crossed the room and sat down at the chair sitting opposite to the bed.

"Temari ....likes teal...." Gaara stated. Naruto wasn't sure if Gaara had been joking or not.

"Has there been any more activity from our friends in the forest?" Naruto asked, shifting the subject.

"Not really, although I did receive word that Konoha has mobilized the majority of the Anbu grey ops along with Three teams all led by at least one jounin." Gaara responded while crossing his arms. The Anbu grey ops were a special team which undertook the most crucial or dangerous of missions and occasional missions which have tainted the conscience of a normal squad.

"And what of Suna's forces? Has the sand village deployed into the region?" Naruto questioned. It was obvious that he would have preferred to be present with the forces that were conducting the search.

"We have intensified our search of the area, but most of the region is outside of our border. Most of our forces are on standby, standing guard at the border. I am still waiting on the council's go ahead to deploy outside our border." Gaara responded. As he said the last sentence, he looked deeply annoyed.

"I want to return to the area, I can find where they are hiding." Naruto demanded. A grim look set upon his features.

**The next day**

Hanabi had been waiting outside the Hokage's office for hours now. She arrived early that morning in order to talk with the lady Hokage. For the time being she had been removed from active status within the Anbu, without a squad she would not have been sent on any missions for at least a little while. After all, she was only 15, despite being incredibly skilled for her age she was still a trainee Anbu. She had been worried about her squad commander and she still felt guilty about her lack of action during their previous mission. Another few minutes passed dreadfully slow until the door to the hokage's office opened and Shizune appeared.

"You can come in now, Miss Hyuga." Shizune addressed the young shinobi who appeared to be focused a little too much on a tile on the floor. Hanabi jumped as she had been brought out of her brooding.

"Yes, thank you." She stammered as she rose, walking to the door. Shizune left as Hanabi made her way inside. Lady Tsunade had been sitting at her desk. The usual clutter that accompanied her office was larger than usual. A full minute had passed before anyone said anything.

"Well, then. What is you wanted to see me about?" Tsunade had set down her fountain pen, as she brought her hands to interlock while putting her elbows on her desk.

"Well...ummm...it's just that....I guess it's nothing. I'll be leaving." Hanabi stuttered as she turned to leave.

"Wait! You can't expect me to believe that you waited three hours to see me over nothing." Tsunade stated, sensing that something was amiss. Hanabi turned back to face her.

"Well, I just wanted to see...... if there had been any information....... on how my senpai was doing." She stammered, blushing slightly. The corner of Tsunade's lip curled upward as she noticed Hanabi say "her senpai". Naruto had said how he thought the young Hyuga was becoming attached to him.

"As a matter of fact, I heard he was well enough to slip out of his hospital room. His wounds are still healing but he seems to be doing well." Tsunade responded, seeing the relief evident on her face. Tsunade was just about to return to her paper work when she noticed Hanabi had not left yet.

"I have something else to...... report to you as well Lady Hokage." Hanabi spoke. Hanabi shifted from one foot to another, clearly upset about something. Tsunade set aside the report she just started on.

"It's about Naruto. He had been over exerting himself. He keeps claiming that he is fine but i think if he continues like this he is going to push himself too far. He hasn't been even sleeping an hour a night." Hanabi told Tsunade while she poked her fingers together much in the way her older sister used to. Tsunade observed Hanabi for a few moments before speaking.

"I know. Actually I knew before I assigned him to captain. I assure you, he is and did take every precaution to ensure the safety of his squad and the success of his mission." Tsunade spoke but Hanabi didn't seem to be satisfied with this answer.

"I know that he complete any mission he is put on and I am not concerned with my own safety. Its him I am......." Hanabi blushed furiously and she didn't finish her sentence.

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Deep underground in a undisclosed location the high priest was hurrying down a torch lit passage way. He was in a hurry to reach his destination. He never remembered the passage being this long. He was becoming very agitated, he had far more pressing matters to attend to. All the preparations which he had been meticulously planned are so close to their completion. He passed doors and additional hallways without as much as a glance. Finally, he reached a door which had no knob. He stopped in front of the door way to mutter a short prayer to Jashin. The room he was about to enter was sacred, even he could not enter without giving praise to Jashin before entering.

"I ask humbly for the blessing of the cruelest of the gods. Ever shall blood be spilt in your name." He muttered as he pressed his hand against a switch hidden on the wall a few inches away from the upper left of the door jamb. Inside the room was a lone candle on a stand in the middle of the room. At the far end of the room was a chair with a figure cloaked in shadow.

"What is it you have to ask of me, exalted prophet." The high priest questioned. The high priest's annoyance was not masked in the least as he addressed the sitting man before him.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet the last remaining prophet." The prophet asked smugly.

The priest gritted his teeth and hissed. "We already have gone through the trouble of digging you up and giving a body of a follower for you to inhabit. Now unless you have forgotten. We do not have any time to be making small talk. I have sacrificed much and I intend to receive my reward." The prophet's bemused manner seemed to drain away.

"SACRIFICE. Did you really say that you have sacrificed, hardly. I HAVE SACRIFICED. I spread the message of Jashin while you sat in a basement ignoring the most important tenant presented to our followers. Even after I was tricked and trapped in that damn pit, I NEVER forgot. I bit off the heads of worms, bugs, and any other form of life I found, still spreading Jashin's love for death to the is why I was saved, your men were just the tool Jashin used. This is also why I am the true prophet of Jashin and you are merely a priest." The seated man spoke in a dangerous tone. He picked up his weapon and walked forward into the light. The large red scythe hanging over his shoulder.

"That is why I am Hidan, IMMORTAL PROPHET OF JASHIN."

**Chapter 5 **


	6. Never Say Die

Chapter 6: Never Say Die!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Naruto had been staring at the horizon for some time now. He was standing on a mass of sand with three others and the platform of sand happened to be flying. Naruto tried not to look down being as the sand appeared to be falling away out from under his feet. He knew that this was a jutsu designed to allow the group to travel faster, but it still seemed like he was about to plummet any moment. He looked over his shoulder at his companions; Temari and Kankuro were both calming waiting. They didn't seem to have any reservations about their method of travel. The fourth person was seated holding his hands in a seal, maintaining his concentration. Naruto recounted the exchange in Gaara's office just before they had left.

-----------------Flashback-------------------------

Gaara was seated behind his desk reviewing documents. Naruto was having a hard time waiting calmly, he wanted to go out to find the rock those cultists were hiding under. He wanted to repay them for what they had done to his squad. He finally stood.

"I'm leaving, waiting here isn't helping." He declared. Gaara did not look up.

"I've told you, in your current condition, the trip would be too hard on you. I have a specialist that I am going to send with you." Gaara spoke calmly. He knew that losing his squad had been devastating for Naruto but that kind of thing happens. Not everyone who is sent on a mission returns. Naruto had just reached for the door knob when the door swung open. A young man with long red hair tried to enter the room but instead ran into Naruto. Naruto nearly fell over from the collision but was able to remain standing.

"Naruto, this is Matsuichi Alucard. He is who we have been waiting on." Gaara informed. Alucard was in a slightly brighter red outfit than what Gaara wore. Alucard saluted Gaara.

"I have come as requested, Kazekage-sama." The young man bowed. Naruto didn't seem impressed by this arrival at all.

"This guy doesn't seem special to me." Naruto whined as he crossed his arms. Gaara sighed at Naruto's reluctance.

"I assure you, Alucard has skills which will become invaluable in your reconnaissance mission. Alucard, Naruto will be leading your squad in order to find the stronghold of the source of the recent attacks." Gaara spoke quickly. In truth, Gaara did not have the authorization to send a squad into Konoha territory but he was side stepping the Suna council. If Naruto led the mission, he could say this was a joint effort and therefore not require specific permission to send them. Naruto glanced back at Gaara to see him nod back. He quickly stormed out the office, Alucard saluted and then turned on his heels and followed.

-------------------------Flashback Over--------------------------------------

The squad had begun to descend. The battlefield, where Temari found Naruto, getting larger as they approached from the sky. Before the makeshift transport had reached the ground, Naruto leapt clear of the sand. Naruto began looking for something that he had seen during his previous battle, a trap door which several of his attackers appeared out of. After ten minutes of looking, he found the door. Naruto called out for the others to follow him.

"Naruto are you sure we should go down there?" Temari questioned as she bit her lip. Temari did not like closed spaces.  
Naruto ignored her and motioned for the group to follow him, the entire group descended a set of stairs that had been revealed by the door. There was very little light, only a few torches lit the path. The walls were made of stone.

The group finally reached the end of the stairs. Naruto heard it a second too late. The floor fell out from under the group and an explosion erupted from above, blasting the group downward with tremendous force.

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In the woods not very far away, Kakashi and his team of Anbu grey ops were almost to the site where Naruto's battle took place. The group moved silently jumping from rocks, trees, or any other solid surface. The group of grey ops suddenly spread out and took cover. One of the forward shinobi signaled that they had found something. Kakashi moved up next to the nin who made the signal.

"There is a group of people dressed in white robes and white masks in the clearing up ahead. Maybe forty of them. They are in a circle around something." The grey-clad nin whispered. Kakashi signaled for the squad to move in. Kakashi's squad was only twenty strong, but these were some of the best the Anbu had to offer.

Temari was the first to recover, quickly surveying her surroundings. She was in a room, she could not tell how big the room was due to the shroud of darkness permeating the room. There was a candle on a stand in the center of the room, which created dancing shadows. She found Naruto unconscious on the floor only a few feet from her, the others were nowhere to be seen. Her war fan was missing. She was about to check on Naruto when she heard footsteps from inside the room.

A lone figure approached from the far side of the candle, their features masked by the darkness. As the figure drew closer, Temari gasped. This man was dead. This man was Hidan of the Akatsuki.

Kakashi and his team ambushed the mass of cultists, killing many, but something was off. Something large and red jumped out from the center of the group. The red blur tackle one of the Anbu, as soon as the two hit the ground a fountain of blood erupted.

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Hidan laughed as he recognized the individual on the floor.

"What a fitting sacrifice for the Thirst. The nine-tailed beast will make a fine meal indeed." Hidan spoke as he brought his free hand in a sweeping motion, his other hand holding his massive scythe.

"You can't have him. I will not let you, Bastard!" Temari growled through gritted teeth. She moved in front of the prone form of Naruto.

"Now, now, there is no need to resist. You might as well accept your fate. The other two you brought are being sacrificed as we speak." Hidan continued talking in a fatherly tone. Temari was tensing up, she had no real way to defend herself here.

'I can't allow him to get even a drop of my blood. His ability to link our bodies requires blood of his victim to function' she thought as she remembered what she seen in a file about Hidan.

"So, will you be a good girl and cooperate? I might even be merciful and sacrifice you myself instead having the Thirst have its way." He asked. Hidan was close enough now to reach her with his weapon. Temari had no clue what he was talking about but she was sure whatever the 'Thirst' was, her fate would still be death. Temari's jaw was locked tight, her whole body tense. She would never submit to anyone.

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Kakashi was dashing through the forest, holding his right side, blood flowed out from under his hand, his team was completely destroyed. That 'thing' disemboweled everyone it got near. The image of the beast flashed in mind, at least eight feet tall when it wasn't using its arms as legs, its skin was black but was stained red in many places, its face was lupine, but the eyes. Its eyes had been glowing, the same color as the blood of so many of his comrades. Everything that they hit that thing with did not seem to have any effect whatsoever. Kakashi had hit it with Raikiri twice, but the beast's flesh repaired itself. Kakashi finally had his team fall back, but by that time the beast already had savagely ripped apart every other member of his team. He chanced a glance over his shoulder, it appears his pursuers had given up.

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"Wind style: Explosive Gust." Temari said as she hurriedly formed hand seals. Hidan didn't do anything to defend himself and he was sent flying into the wall. Temari pulled a kunai from a holster on her thigh, the weapon may have been small, but she desperately needed something to put between herself and Hidan's great scythe. Hidan picked himself off the floor and began laughing again.

"That is the spirit, my dear. That spark of life. It's just what I love to see. It makes sacrificing you mean so much more when you have such an indomitable spirit." Hidan spoke from the shadows in the same fatherly tone as before. Hidan dashed towards Temari, bringing his scythe in a wide arc. Temari dodged to one side, only just being able to get out of the way. The lack of light in the room didn't seem to be bothering Hidan at all. Hidan swung his weapon at her again. She dodged underneath the blade this time, but Hidan was faster. Hidan slammed his foot into her chest, sending her skidding across the room. Temari could feel that Hidan just broke at least one of her ribs, the pain was intense. Hidan smiled widely, the fight was over, sadly. He had felt her ribs crack under his foot.

"That was fun, while it lasted that is. That was disappointing that you are so weak. Your punishment, for your weakness, will be having to watch your friend here, die." Hidan spoke again. 'It is going to piss off the priest but, this is the will of Jashin. I cannot deny the impulse of the Almighty.' He thought. Hidan walked over to Naruto who still lie unconscious and hoisted his scythe overhead.

"In the name of Jashin, I offer this flesh and spirit." Hidan said aloud with his eyes closed. But before he could finish the sacrifice, he heard Temari mutter something and a spilt-second later he was blasted away from the prone boy. This time when Hidan rose from the floor, he was not as jovial as before.

"Those that have lost should know when to quit." He growled as he dashed toward Temari, he had his great scythe over his shoulder. Hidan leapt as he neared Temari, he was planning to rend her in half. Temari knew she was not able to get out of the way of this attack, she raised her kunai, but she winced as the pain was too great.

CLANG!!!!

………..

When nothing happened, she opened her eyes. There before her was an orange toad with large metal armguards standing in directly in front of her. She jerked her head over to where Naruto had been, he was lying on his side with one hand bloodied, flat on the floor. Hidan was becoming extremely agitated. Naruto had regained consciousness and he was ready to fight.

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This chapter took a long time, I rewrote it a few times.


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